Exhibition: April 6th – May 4th, 2019

 

On Saturday, April 6th:

• 2pm – 3pm: Egg tempera demonstration by exhibiting artist Eileen Kennedy
• 3pm – 4:30pm: Opening reception

Free and open to all.

Reservations are but not required, but are appreciated: 508-222-2644 x10 or office@attleboroartsmuseum.org

 

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Exhibiting artists:

• Michael Bergt
• Jon Gernon
• Miranda Gray
• Eileen Kennedy
• Jennifer Knaus
• Carol A. O’Neill
• Banjie Nicholas
• Diane Savino

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Egg tempera is a mystical medium as it has roots in the early Renaissance.  During this time period, such artists as Giotto, Piero della Francesca and Fra Angelico were paying homage to the deity and angels.  The medium sanctified nature and all that it touched in its pictorial plane. Naturalism played an important role on the depiction of sacred themes. 

The act of creating these magnificent jewel-like paintings was accomplished through simple media: the yolk of an egg, ground powdered pigments and water.  Mixed together and applied with tiny brushstrokes, which layered color upon color, an artist could achieve translucency and opaqueness.  The weaving of brushstroke and tempered paint created exquisite iconic artworks.   The nature of the tempera medium is open for experimentation as well as continuum with ancient practices in our modern day.

The eight artists in this exhibit have conceived new stories which are documented through the medium of tempera.  Michael Bergt’s work features the human figure, integrating classical myths, sensuality, and the human condition.  Jon Gernon draws inspiration from the Renaissance, drawing on symbolism and combining it with magic realism.  Both Carol A. O’Neill and Banjie Nicholas are drawn to nature, weaving birds and leaves into their picture planes.  Jennifer Knaus marries female iconography with quirky elements of nature; she is interested in tapping into the subconscious.  Eileen Kennedy’s painted narratives come from dreams and memories to create stylized figures caught up in shallow spaces.  Lastly, Diane Savino weaves nature with human nature, creating commentaries about journeys, desires and sanctity.

This exhibition offers fresh approaches to a medium that the Italian writer, Cennini Cennino, wrote about in his treatise in the 1400s. The participating artists feel a kinship with the ancient medium, drawing inspiration from early masters and continuing their artistic lineage.

 

 

Top image: “Girl with Zinnia” (detail) by Jennifer Knaus, egg tempera.